Liquid-measuring tank



PATENTED JAN. '5, 1904.

E. 0. LINTON. LIQUID MEASURING TANK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

THE nonms Perms ca, Puo'roum No. 748,761. PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

E. O. LINTON LIQUID MEASURING TANK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST O. LINTON, OF MARION, VVISOONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO FRANK LEAKE, WILLIAM SHAMBEAU, AND JOHN H. SPENGLER, OF MARION, WISCONSIN.

LlQUlD-MEASURING TANK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,761,. dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed June'l5, 1908. Serial No. 161,689. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST O. LINTON, a cititity has been withdrawn.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described.

In the drawings illustrative of theinvention, in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detached view of a portion of one of the pulleyguides. I

The improved device consists in a main reservoir or storage-tank 10, of any suitable size or material and preferably mounted upon a supporting-baseof any approved form or construction. Connected to the reservoir is a receiving-tank 12, from which the liquid is to be drawn, and will be sufficiently large to contain the largest quantity to be dispensed at any one time. The device will generally be employed for retailing liquids of various kinds in stores and supply-houses, and

' the tank 12 will therefore contain the largest number of gallons which any customer will be likely to require at any one time-for in stance, fivebut the tank may be of any required size, as will be obvious. The connection between the reservoir and tank is in the form ,of a circular aperture having valveseats 13 14, respectively, upon opposite sides, as shown. Mounted for engagement with seat 13 is a valve 15, having a stem 16 extending therefrom. Mounted for engagement with the seat 14. is a valve 18, supported yieldably in operative position by springs 19 upon rods 20, as shown. The valve 18 is formed with a stem 21, leading through the walls of the reservoir 10 and provided with transverse studs22, adapted to operate over stops 23, having inclined bearing-surfaces, so that when the stem 21 is rotated in one'direction the valve 18 will be depressed by the springs 19 upon its seat 14, and when elevated and rotated in the opposite direction the-studs 22, running over the upper surfaces of the stops 23, will support the valve open against the pressure of the springs 19 and maintain it in its open or inoperative. position. By this simple means the valve 18 may be employedto shut 0d the passage between the reservoir and tank independently of the action of the valve 15.

The tank 12 is provided with a dischargeaperture 24, upon which a valve 25 is adapt- 1 ed to be seated and connected by a rod 26 to 25 leads through the funnel member 27 and is maintained yieldably upon its seat by a spring 30, as shown. The stems 21 29 terminate, respectively,in knobs or handles 31 32,as shown. The stem is provided with a notch or recess 33, with which a latch 34. is adapted to engagerwhen the stem 29 is drawn outwardly to open the valve 25, and thus lock it in its open position.

7 Within the tank 12 a float 35 is disposed and provided with a stem 36, passing upwardly through the tank, as shown. The aperture in the tank through which the stem 36 is surrounded by a valve-seat 37, and the float 35 is provided with a valve 38, adapted to engage the seat 37 when the float is elevated to form a liquid-tight closure to the stem-aperture in event of the complete filling of the tank, and thus prevent leakage around the float-stem under those conditions. Supported upon the reservoir 10 or other suitable supporting means are spaced guide members 39 40, one or both of which is provided with spaced notches 4E1. Slidably disposed upon the guides 39 40 is a frame 42, carrying a chain or cable pulley 43 and having a catch-arm 44, adapted to engage the notches 41, and thus connect the frame and pulley adjustable to the guides.

Pivotally connected at 45 to tank 12, adjacent to the catch-lever 34, is a lever 46, having a weight 47 at one end and with the other end adapted to engage the free end of the catch 34. The lever 46 is provided with a trip-lug 47, with which one end 48 of a triplever 49 engages, the trip-lever pivoted at 50 to the tank 12 or other stationary part of the apparatus. A chain or cable 51 leads from the free end of the trip-lever 49 over a guidepulley 52 and thence over the adjustable pulley 43 to the float-stem 36, as shown.

The receiver 12, as above noted, Will be constructed to hold a certain predetermined quantity of liquid, and the notches 41 will be spaced to correspond to the different quantities to be drawn off through the discharge 28, such as pints, quarts, gallons, &c. The length of the chain or cable 51 will be so proportioned as to length that when the pulley 43 is set with the arm 44 in the lowermost notch 41 the float 35 will be at the lowest point in the tank or in position to cause the discharge of the largest quantity of liquid and when the pulley 43 is set at the highest notch 41 the float will be in position to cause the discharge of the smallest quantity of liquid, the intermediate notches providing, as will be obvious, for the discharge of the intermediate quantities. It will be noted that by reason of the closed valve 25 and opened valve 15 the tank 12 will be normally filled with the liquid'from the reservoir 10 and the float 35 at the top of the tank with the valve 38 closing the aperture around the stem 36. A full tank 12 is thus provided at all times to start with in operating the device.

When a certain quantity of the liquid is re-.

quired, the lever-arm 46 is set, as shown in Fig. 2, with the trip-lug 47 engaged by the catch end 48 of the trip-lever 49, which will lock the Weighted lever in its poised position, with its free end beneath the free end of the catch 34. The pulley 43 is then adjusted to the notch 41 corresponding to the required quantity of the liquid, thus slackening up the chain or cable, but not releasing the trip-lever 49. The receiving vessel is then placed beneath the discharge 28 and the stem 29 drawn outward, which action will simultaneously open the valve 25 and close the valve 15, thus shutting off any further flow from the reservoir 10. The stem 29 will be drawn outward until the catch 34 falls into the notch 33, which will lock the valve 25 in its open position. The liquid will continue to flow until the float 35 falls far enough to take up the slack of the chain 51, when the weight of the float added to the weight of the chain will trip the lever 49, release the lever 46, and

permit the Weight 47 to elevate the shorter end, and thus throw the catch 34 out of the notch 33 and release the stem 29, and permit the spring 30 to instantly close the valve 25 and simultaneously open the valve 15 and cause the refilling of the tank 12 again. By this simple means all that is necessary to draw any required quantity of liquid is for the operator to set the trip mechanism 46 49 and adjust the pulley 43 to the notch 41 corresponding to the desired quantity and draw out the stem 29, when the device will be automatically shut off when the required quantity has passed the valve 25.

This makes a very simple, cheaply-constructed, and efficient means for storing and measuring liquids of various kinds and may be employed for any of the kinds of liquids and fluids that are usually employed in corn merce, but is more particularly adapted for kerosene-oil and like products.

The reservoirs and tanks may be of any capacity or material, and a plurality of the device may be arranged upon a single baseframe, or a large reservoir may be divided into compartments each provided with its independent system of measuring mechanisms, without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

The tank member 12 will preferably be provided with a hand-hole with a suitable closure 52, through which the mechanism Within the tank may be reached.

In the foregoing description is shown the preferred form of the invention, but it is not necessarily limited thereto, as modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle of the invention, and therightis therefore reserved of making all the changes which may fairly fall within the scope of the invention and the claims made therefor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, a receiving-tank having a discharge-valve, a float in said tank, a vertically -adjustable guide-pulley mounted on said tank, a holding means operative to maintain said valve open, and a chain or cable between said float and holding means and leading over said pulley, whereby said holding means will be released by the falling of the float, to a predetermined position, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a receiving-tank having a discharge-valve, a float in said tank, spaced guides having a ca.- ble or chain pulley movable longitudinally thereon, a holding means operating to maintain said valve open, a chain or cable between said float and holding means and leading over said pulley, whereby the period of release of said valve may be regulated, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a reservoir, a receiving-tank, connecting means between said tank and reservoir having valveseats facing into both the reservoir and tank, a feed-valve engaging one of said seats and ICC adapted to control the flow to said receivingtank, and a shut-E valve adapted to be engaged with the other of said seats and operative independently of said feed-valve, sub stantially as described.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a reservoir, a receiving-tan k,connecting means between said tank and reservoir having valveseats facing into both the reservoir and tank, a feed-valve engaging one of said seats and adapted to control the flow to said receivingtank,a spring-controlled shut-off valve adapted to yieldably engage the other of said seats, holding means for maintaining said shut-0E valve in inoperative position, and means for releasing said holding means to permit said shut-off valve to be closed independently of said feed-valve, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a reservoir, a receiving-tank,connecting means between said tankand reservoir having valveseats facing into both the reservoir and tank, a feed-valve engaging one of said seats and adapted to control the flow to said receivingtank,a spring-controlled shut-off valve adapted to yieldably engage the other of said seats, and having a stem extending above said reservoir and provided with laterally-extended studs, stops having inclined bearing-surfaces adapted to be engaged by said studs to hold said shut-01f valve in operative position when said stem is rotated in one direction and to release said valve When the motion is reversed, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the class described, areceiviug-tank having a discharge-valve, a float in said tank, spaced guides having graduated notches, a cable or chain pulley carried bya supporting-frame movable longitudinally of said guides and adapted to be detachably connected with said notches, holding means operating to maintain said valve open,a chain or cable between said float and holding means and leading over said pulley,whereby the period of release of said valve may be regulated,

substantially as described.

7. In a device of the class described, a receiving-tank having a discharge-valve, a float in said tank, having a stem leading from said tank, a valve-seat upon said tank surrounding said stem, a valve upon said float adapted to engage said seat when elevated, and means connecting said fioatstem and. discharge-valve, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a reservoir, a receiving-tank connected to said reservoir, a feed-valve operating between said tank and reservoir, a discharge-valve leading from said receiving-tank, connecting means between said feed and discharge valves whereby when one is opened the other is closed, afloat within said receiving-tank, having a stem leading through said tank, a valve-seat upon said casing surrounding said stem, a valve upon said float adapted to engage said seat when the tank fills with liquid from the reservoir to prevent leakage, and means connecting said float-stem and discharge and feed valves, substantially as described.

In testimony that I ciaim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST O. LINTON.

Witnesses:

R. W. HERRIGK, AUGUST N. SoHERvE. 

